Smooth Criminal
by Scherzkeks
Summary: "Genius, in fact. Hyuuga and Nogi are trapped in your hands now."-"Exactly," she smirked. "This is my game after all." UPDATED: CHAPTER FIVE!
1. Chapter 1: The Devil's Deal

**Disclaimer:** Gakuen Alice, and all that belongs to the trademark, is copyrighted by Higuchi Tachibana. The plot of this story, however, belongs to me.

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**Smooth Criminal**

_Written by Scherzkeks_

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**Chapter One: The Devil's Deal**

If there was one thing that wasn't very likeable in a jail, it was the toilet. The bed was comfortable, the food was great, and everything was available for free. Basically, you had anything you needed in a jail. No wonder criminals did what they did! But the toilet – yuck! Didn't anyone bother to clean it? I could smell it 20 meters away from its location.

I cringed.

As I walked along the aisle of prison cells, the inmates grew interested and moved towards the bars. Murderous and perverted faces surrounded me, eyes following me to my destination – the last cell. Officer Yome unlocked it and allowed me inside, closing the door again.

There was only one person who resided in the cabin. He sat at the end of his bed, blankly staring at the could-have-been-white wall. I walked in and stopped in front of him. He slowly turned to me, his bright blue eyes throwing me a sharp look. I gulped, trying to stay as professional as I could. I'd done this a thousand times. There was no way I got scared now.

I glanced at the document and turned poker-face to him, "Ruka Nogi, is it?"

He didn't reply. I sighed and grabbed a seat, "You know, Ruka, you will have it easier if you cooperate with us."

He shot a look at me and smirked mockingly, "You call this easy? There's no way you can make me talk. I know how you people work."

"Your case is conspiracy. If you lose it, which you probably would, you'd have to be detained for three years. No bail if you refuse to work with us," I told him.

"He'll get me out of here," was his confident reply.

"Not if we catch him," I said almost enthusiastically. "As for your buddy, he has been sued of thievery, public riot, and murder. That's a sentence to death penalty for him. Have I mentioned that he has been given a "shoot-when-seen-order"?"

He twitched. _Gotcha_, I thought and smiled, "Which is why if you work for us, we might give your friend a lighter sentence. You know? Maybe spare his life?"

It was so fast, I didn't notice before it was too late. My back was on the floor, he on top of me, and his hands wrapped around my neck, his intentions steadfast. He didn't care, I offended him. I must die. But just in time, the officers pulled him off me.

The officers held him back like a ravishing monster. But I could see it in his eyes, though. He was actually considering my offer. After all, his friend was better in prison than dead. Funnily, I was touched to see that he was truly concerned about him. It was rare to witness that with accomplices in crimes. Usually, they would turn their friends in.

Now he was meek. I nodded at my co-workers as a sign to release the boy. I smiled, awaiting his answer.

"Fine," he decided. I didn't say anything. I knew he had more to say. "But on a couple of conditions."

And there it was. I looked at Officer Mochu and he nodded. I exasperated, "Sure, let me hear them."

"Don't hurt Natsume," his reply was fast. It was as if he didn't have to think. "Take back the shoot when seen motion and take him here alive. No death sentence either."

"Consider it approved," I said. "Life sentence instead. Shoot the next deal."

"I want you to arrest him yourself. No help from the others. Just you and you alone."

I froze. Wait, what was that again? I should arrest the most wanted criminal myself? I was just an office police. I've never worked practically. The team never let me. Besides, if the best policemen couldn't catch him, how could I? This Ruka was definitely brainy.

"I can't possibly agree –"

"Well, then the deal's off," he said dismissively. I sighed, frustrated. I tried to gather every possible idea in my head, but no avail. "It's either that or we don't have any business here."

"Alright, alright!" I responded impulsively. "Approved it is, fine. You're a cunning one, aren't you?"

He grinned.

I wondered out loud, "No wish for yourself, Ruka?"

"None," he said without any thought.

"Immunity? Lowering of sentence? Anything at all? A five star hotel room of a cell, perhaps?" I suggested.

"Nope," he stood firm. "I just want you to comply with all the conditions I mentioned. I don't want anything for myself. I deserve this after all."

He smiled earnestly. I was taken aback by that.

"One more thing, though," he said. I knew it, there was a catch. It wasn't just that. I braced myself for his next condition.

"You _kill_ Hotaru Imai." He dropped the bomb. There was no tentativeness visible in his eyes. He wanted this. He seriously would exchange his friend's life for another person's.

"No! There is no way!" I protested violently. I was panting. I couldn't fathom his term.

"Kill Hotaru Imai or kill the deal!" He retorted. Nothing could change my mind, neither his. "Seriously injure her, I don't care! Just do it, or I won't help you."

I was burning in fury. My body was heating up in rage. I worked for the good, justice. The last thing I would do is take an innocent person's life. Ruka was out of his mind. He surely knew the weight of his request, yet why would he ask it? Did he really expect me to do it?

_What is Ruka Nogi up to?_

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**Author's note:** I know I should be revising my old stories, but…I can't help but write this. I haven't written anything decent for months!

Thank you so much for reading! Please do review. Reviews are loved.


	2. Chapter 2: Remember Me

**Smooth Criminal**

_Written by Scherzkeks_

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**Chapter Two: Remember Me**

_If you play the game,  
Know that every move has its consequence  
_.

_Riiiiiiinnggg_

The phone rang. I looked at my partner, Koko, and he pressed the speaker button. There was only a crumpling sound at the start. Soon, a more disturbing sound came up. It was someone groaning, someone struggling. Its desperate cries bothered me greatly. I started to panic.

"Hello?" I said. No one replied. The voice just kept on doing the same thing.

Something ticked a couple of times and a different – a much darker and deeper – voice finally spoke. My heart leapt unexpectedly. He said darkly, "You dared turn Ruka against me. And now you're paying for it."

"What?" I jumped to my feet.

But the phone call was already dropped. I was shaking, I was afraid. _Ruka Nogi_, he spoke of him. That could only mean that the mysterious caller was none other than Natsume Hyuuga. What was he planning to do? I looked at Koko in seek of comfort, but he was just a shocked as I was.

_Aaahhhhh! _

A shriek from outside turned up and died eventually. Everyone from the Police department rushed outside to see what was going on. People were whispering and gasping. Chief already called an investigatory team. As I stepped down at the pavements, my eyes widened at the scene. Holy…what the…? I saw a burnt body lying in front of our building.

And beside it was a pool of blood and from it were words drawn, "Remember me."

There was no culprit by the body, of course. But I knew who it did it. The man, whose face no one knew of – the Black Cat, Natsume Hyuuga. He was known for arson. He burnt houses and bodies. It was how he took vengeance against people. So this was what he was talking about. This was pure atrocity. He was challenging us.

_Remember me._

The message scared crap out of me. Koko stood next to me. He was muttering, "You took my friend. You tried to use him against me. You sick bastards. I'm going to make you all miserable. You will never forget Natsume Hyuuga."

Something in me died. He was right. Those two words basically said it all. Natsume Hyuuga just declared war. If we didn't get to him soon, more and more innocent bystanders would lose their lives. Darn him.

"_He'll get me out of here!" Nogi growled. _

What did I just do?

* * *

"Hyuuga can't hide anymore. I've sent the body for autopsy and we have a couple of witnesses at hand. I think we've finally made a big step, now that you've gotten Ruka Nogi to our side as well. Job well done, officers," Chief congratulated me after I had reported all that had transpired during the transaction with Nogi. Relief and new found hope were evident in his formerly stressed out face. And after the incident a while ago, we definitely had to finally move and catch Hyuuga. The case had indeed been standing too long.

I forced a smile, which looked utterly constipated.

"_So we're cutting off the deal, I suppose. Well, it's your loss," Nogi said casually. There went my last dot of hope. I felt irredeemable, a complete failure. What to do, Mikan? What to do? He walked to his bed and lay on it, facing the wall. With that, he dismissed us. "You can go, Officers." _

_What a troll! It couldn't just end it like this! _

_Officer Koko already held the door open and Mochu tapped my my back lightly, urging me to follow him, as he marched out. They were ready to give up. But my heart's directive told me to do otherwise. I didn't move a muscle._

"_Come on, Mikan!" Koko called. Not just yet._

"_Wait!" I spat out. Oh, dear me and my impetuous decision-making again. That was the second time today. At that moment, I was already regretting it._

_Everyone froze, waiting for what I had to say. But I didn't know myself either. I didn't know what to say now. I beckoned the other officers to go ahead. _

"_Let's go," Mochu, already pissed, ordered me. _

"_We'll find another way, come on! We don't need that jerk," Koko hollered. _

"_Fine, if you want to stay with this psycho, then I don't care. But you better get something good out of this, Sakura," Mochu gritted his teeth and stomped away, Koko going after him. As soon as they reluctantly left, I sat at the edge of his bed. He didn't react, allowing us a few moments of silence. _

_I attempted to talk multiple times, but I always stopped myself at the last minute. _

_What do I say? How should I say it? _

_Ultimately, I only came up with, "Okay."_

_Ruka flipped over to face me. His lips widened to a half-smile. _

_There was something remarkable about that smile. One day, his charms would kill him. _

He also shook Koko's and Mochu's hands. And we all saluted our senior before leaving the office.

The three of us walked in an uncomfortable silence. Koko was glaring at me. But I pretended as if I didn't feel anything. Mochu glanced at the both of us and crinkled his nose. He could sense the tensed aura around us. Koko came to a sudden halt. _Uh-oh_. That was a sign of a displeased Coconut Head.

"Dinner time!" Mochu declared, purposely interrupting the awkwardness, as he shuffled ahead of us and towards the cafeteria. Darn that idiot for leaving me alone with that other idiot. I also stopped a distance of three feet away from Yome.

Finally, Koko spoke. He accused, "You're planning on working alone on this, aren't you?"

"Working alone what?" I asked innocently.

"The case!" He exclaimed, his voice breaking, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He advanced at me madly, "You're going to follow Nogi's terms. You lied to Chief! That's the reason why it happened, isn't it?"

He was right, though. He always was. Honestly, I didn't know what to feel about it. I did know that I was guilty for lying to my best friend, but I couldn't recognize the other emotions beating up my stomach. I patted him on the shoulder, but his expression remained unchanged. It was something rare with Koko – real affection. Normally, he would move and talk around like "serious" and "work" weren't in his vocabulary. This time, though, he looked genuinely worried.

I acted as if I didn't notice this and merely chuckled, "You're not called the Mind Reader for nothing. I wonder why they didn't assign you my job."

"That's easy," he shrugged, loosening off a bit. "You appeal more to criminals."

We both laughed. But then he frowned again. "You do know what you're doing, don't you? You're married to the law, Mikan. You can't do this."

"You actually think I'll do it?" I was totally flabbergasted that he honestly thought I would murder a person.

"Of course not!" He reacted defensively. "I was just making sure. What I'm actually afraid of is your plan. I hate your plans."

"I'll be careful then," I promised him. When I uttered those words, I had no idea if I could guarantee its fulfillment. For all I knew, it could be the death of me.

"That's what they all say," he snorted, rolling eyes. Then he said, "I'm coming with you."

"I don't know, Koko," I said slowly. "It might divert the operation."

"Hello? We're partners, remember? And you need me to predict their moves," he said. I raised my brow at him. And then he added, "For example, I think Nogi still has contact with this Hyuuga and they're planning something. His conditions had more depth, so it's pretty much obvious."

"In that case, we have an extremely poor security," I answered nonchalantly.

"I can't argue that, but that's not the point. You're running right into pandemonium…" He was warning me.

Kitsuneme, the station guard, passed by us, typing on some kind of a phone – something similar to an iPhone. Well, speaking of poor security.

"… know what this could do to you? Mikan, are you still listening?" I heard Koko was still talking.

He was cut off when I called Kitsu, my attention still locked on Kitsu's phone, "Hey, Kitsu. Nice phone! Where'd you get it?"

The boy turned and raised his device in confirmation. I nodded. "It's a LOLphone. I bought it from the main shop downtown."

He showed me the logo behind the phone as he knocked at Chief's door. When he entered, I came to think out loud, "How come I've never heard of it?"

"Well, I did," Koko said. "It was even on the news last week – hey, wait! Don't change the topic!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," I brushed aside and said instead, "I want to see the LOLphone!"

Together, we headed to the station's TV room. He searched for VTRs of last week's news, while mumbling words along the lines of "such a waste of time" and "we have much more important things to do". After watching video after video, the right news cut finally came.

"We're live at the LOL, Gan Street Branch. Today, a franchise of the LOL Incorporated is opening in Seoul. It's the first shop that was opened abroad, aside from the one in Berlin…," the reporter was saying. Then it showed clips of the shop and its products, people buying them and commenting on how much they loved the new trend. So far, it has become more popular than Apple Inc.'s products, well, that was in Japan.

Suddenly, something caught my attention on TV again. A woman was being interviewed; who I assumed was the CEO of the company. She had ebony black hair, pixie cut. Her eyes were bright purple. She was slim and wore a business attire; black vest, white blouse underneath, and pencil cut skirt. And then her name flashed on the screen.

It was Hotaru Imai.

Holy irony…

"Uhh, Mikan," Koko tapped me, his eyes still glued onto to the screen of the television.

"I know," I told him, still awed at our discovery.

Where did Nogi get the audacity to request the death of such a big person? I mean, Hotaru Imai, the CEO of the famous company. Why did he want her dead anyway? Did he even know her personally?

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"Here, look at what I found," Koko tapped me and pointed at the computer screen. I bent over, supporting myself with an arm on his shoulder, and squinted at the text.

_**Hotaru Imai**__ is flying to Seoul in three days. 15 hrs._

Again, all hope was lost. What chance did we have now to fix things with her?

As if hearing my thoughts, he rolled his eyes and explained, "Imai will be leaving for Seoul in three days. That means we have three days to negotiate with her."

Oh, how could I have not thought of that?

"You saw how she was at the Gan Street Branch a while ago," he continued. "It must only mean she hangs around her shops much. Now look here."

He scrolled down Imai's Twitter page and stopped at a point, allowing me to read.

_**Hotaru Imai**__ Exhausted. At Feltson Avenue Branch. 7 days._

_**Hotaru Imai **__Elmer Alley. Stupid customers. Wtf. If they didn't give me cash, I'd probably kill them all now. April 2._

_**Hotaru Imai**__ Dach Street is too messy. Good thing it earns me the most. You're lucky, Dach. Very lucky. March 26._

Alright, so she did a couple of visits. But I didn't get how relevant that was to our problem now. Koko smiled and enlightened me, "As you can see, from bottom to top, she visits her branches in alphabetical order."

Dach, Elmer, Feltson, and Gan – how could I have missed that? Koko always noticed such literal things in every situation and I never saw any use to that. Now, I recognized the relevance of his talents to his job. I was so glad he was my partner.

"So the next and the last branch is Hijiri," he said. "Her interval of shop hopping is every 7 days, according to her Tweets. Hence, the next is on her last day in Tokyo."

"Koko, you're a genius! I don't know what to do without you!"

"I know, no need to flatter me. I told you, you need me!" He joked.

Alright, there was only one thing to do. Hotaru Imai, here we come.

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A/N: Woops, I'm a slow updater, haha. I'm not used to writing long stuff, you know! And this chapter was really hard to write D: Weelll, I do promise I'll be faster with the next chapters (hopefully). Sorry, I had to insert a tad bit of KokoxMikan here. XD

Oh! And I changed my pen name to Scherzkeks. Whee~ :D

I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Review please? ;)


	3. Chapter 3: End It with a Gunshot

**Disclaimer: No, I don't.**

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**Smooth Criminal  
Chapter 3: End It with a Gunshot**

_Dedicated to jAyesque_

To tell you the truth, I was surprised that the Chief entrusted the case to me. Before this, I'd only gotten minor cases that no one usually paid attention to; tracking lost children in particular. After all, I am not talented at anything more than my accurate portrait sketching. Unfortunately, although that's a great asset to my usual work, it's also a great loss to my current case. If we only knew how Natsume Hyuuga looked like, it would be more possible to catch him. And our golden key to Hyuuga's face was—

"Hotaru Imai," Koko spoke all of the sudden as he stopped abruptly at the sight of the red light. I felt like I would have been thrown out of the car if it weren't for my seatbelt. He looked rather perplexed; his right hand was cautiously playing with the wheel.

"What about her?"

"If Hyuuga wanted her dead in the first place," he started. "Why doesn't he come after her?"

"Imai's a big personality. It would be really hard to get past her security," I answered. His eyes were now fixed on the road again as the lights turned to yellow then to green. He stepped on the gas and sped off. I swallowed, "Which is why they need us, because access to her would be easier for us."

Sometimes – wait, scratch that. I meant, _always_ – I hated riding the car with Koko. He was the most reckless driver I knew, which was totally ironic, because he was a police officer and he's supposed to set an example. But he would always use his own car anyway whether on or off duty, because "the police car smelt like sweat and rotten fast food".

"This is stupid," he shook his head and spun the wheel, swerving round the curve. I didn't say anything and allowed the moment of silence to sink in. I didn't like it more than he did. I just looked at him and he sighed, "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"We're getting LOLphones while we're at it, right?"

I laughed, "Sure."

He slowed down at the sight of the shop and halted altogether in front of it. Good thing Koko insisted on taking his own car instead of the police car. Otherwise, we would have garnered such unwarranted attention, which could very much ruin our mission. Well, we were on day-off anyway, so we didn't have much of a choice. He unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car, then walked around the hood and opened the door on my side. I slipped out, shielding my eyes from the glaring sun. Koko, putting on a pair of Aviators, leaned on the car hood and looked at me, saying, "So this is it."

* * *

"What's the difference between a LOLphone2 and a LOLphone2i?" Koko was asking the saleslady while he weighed both in his hands. Before the saleslady could even explain, I pulled Koko away from the counter and started walking. I stopped at the elevator and pressed the button, but I didn't let go of his wrist.

"I thought we were going to buy a LOLphone!"

"Sir, we don't have much time," I sighed. "The phone can wait."

"Excuse me," a small, pitchy voice came out of nowhere. We turned around and found a slim girl with permed hair, which was significantly seaweed green, standing behind us. She was pretty. She must work in the place, too. Although she wasn't wearing the same uniform as those perky salesladies, she was wearing a much more class office clothing. She put her hand on her waist and said, "Sir, Ma'am, where do you think you're going?"

"Lady," Koko stepped in front of me and crossed his arms, "what's with that tone?"

"Excuse me?" The lady was obviously pissed already.

I slapped Koko's side with the back of my hand and gave him a look. Then I turned to the lady with a smile, "We're looking for, um, Miss Hotaru Imai."

"Well she's not entertaining walk-in guests," the girl said flatly. "Now if you please—"

"You don't understand," I brought out my ID and showed her. "It's for investigation purposes."

"Do you have an appointment?" She said, raising a brow, hugging her clipboard tighter with her other arm. Apparently, it didn't intimidate her at all.

"Hello? Didn't you see? I'm Officer Mikan Sakura; that's Officer Kokoroyome. We're police, in case you're oblivious to that. We're trying to do our jobs here," I said, already gritting my teeth in annoyance.

"And I'm Miss Imai's personal assistant, Sumire Shouda. I'm trying to do my job as well. Now, please leave if you don't want me to call the security."

"Didn't you hear, woman?" Koko hissed. "We're police."

"And you're not in uniform, which means you're not in duty."

"Can I please shoot this bitch now?" I whispered to Koko.

"No, no," Koko said, raking his hair with his fingers. "Let me handle this."

He cleared his throat and winked at Shouda. She raised a brow at him. "Hey," he said smoothly. Oh God, Koko. I wanted to bury myself in a cave. I slapped my forehead and tried my best to not witness what was going to happen next. He moved closer to her and she stepped backwards. But he caught her chin. "What a pretty face."

"S-sir," Shouda said, trying to hide her blush, and removed Koko's hand, "Stop."

"Won't you let me talk to your boss for a while, ne? And we'll date later. Is that alright, darling?" Koko was saying, caressing the poor girl's face. I tried to stifle my laughter but it was harder than expected.

"Alright, alright! Go already. I'll brief Miss Imai," she said and took big steps backward, away from Koko. Her face was pale crimson already. Koko gave me a thumbs-up. Then he winked again at her.

_Ding! _

We all turned to the door. My eyes widened when I recognized who it was. She smiled and said, "Sumire, isn't it a bit early to be flirting?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am! But they couldn't be stopped," Shouda said while doing a proper 90° bow to her boss. Hotaru Imai. I felt like blood had been drained out of me. I couldn't explain why, but I didn't have a good feeling about her.

"No, no. It's alright," Imai said, waving off. Then she turned to us. My heart leapt in anxiety. She then said, "Why don't you come with me and we'll have a chat."

I looked at Koko and he nodded. We stepped inside the elevator and she pushed a button. Shouda just stood outside and watched the doors closed.

It was an awkward silence. All the while, all I could do was try and figure out what was so intimidating about her. Was it her economic status at such a young age? Or was it the fact that she's connected to Hyuuga and Nogi? Or was it both perhaps? I glanced at her.

What could she be hiding?

"Hey," Koko whispered while grinning.

"What?"

"Don't you want to thank me?"

_Ding!_ The doors parted and Hotaru Imai walked out. We followed her.

"Why?" I asked Koko.

"If it wasn't for my charms, we wouldn't be here. She was totally swooned."

"More like, totally scared of you," I grumbled. "She only let us, because she wanted you to stop harassing her."

"I wasn't harassing her!" Koko protested.

We already reached Hotaru Imai's office. It was big, but it was clean cut, a monotone of black and white. Koko checked the outside first and then locked the door. Then he squeezed my shoulder and whispered, "No hidden cameras." I nodded.

Imai shuffled to the chair behind her desk and sat, like the boss she was, and then gestured to the guest seats in front. Reluctantly, we both accepted.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure of having two police officers in my office today?" She began, leaning back and crossing her legs.

I swallowed, mentally trying to come up with how to make it sound as mild as possible. Then I said, "Ruka Nogi. He wants you dead."

Well, that wasn't very mild at all.

She gave it a thought for a while and then only said, "Really."

"Would you have an idea why he would want that?" Koko asked this time.

"Let's just say I have something that they want," she said nonchalantly. Then she smirked, "He's got some kind of nerve, doesn't he?"

"He wants _me_ to kill you," I decided to say when I noticed she didn't appear to be shaken or aware of the danger she was in at all.

"Very well then." She wasn't scared. Rather, she was amused. Ultimately, Hotaru Imai said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, "Kill me."

"But Ma'am, we couldn't possibly—"

"You need this to get information out of Nogi, right? So do it," she said. I gulped and then shook my head. I couldn't possibly. We couldn't. I looked at Koko and he had this sparkle in his eye. I already knew what that meant. We only had this one opportunity. It's now or never.

"If there's nothing else, Officers," Imai said and came to her feet. "You may leave."

I sighed, stood up and headed for the door with my partner behind me. But something was tugging at my chest. Something felt wrong. So I stopped midway, pulled out my gun, and aimed at her.

"No hard feelings, Miss Imai."

* * *

"Clear?" I asked, wiping off the gun with a piece of cloth, when he finally entered the car and started the engine.

"Clear," he answered and then drove off.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the delayed update. I have three valid reasons, though. (1) Writer's block. Yes, it's valid. (2) I lost all my notes on my phone, so I didn't have any materials to construct this with. Luckily, I remembered some. (3) Exams. We all know how it is. I'm also sorry if my writing's a bit rusty. (Also unbeta-ed). Haven't written for a long while.

Anywhohow, thank you for waiting and for reading! I hope I didn't disappoint. Again, I really do apologize for the delay. But for that, I will update again next week. (No exams, yaaaay!) Thank you also for supporting the story! –insert heart here-

Oh and what do you guys think of the current cover?

All my best,  
Scherzkeks


	4. Chapter 4: Check and Mate

**Disclaimer: I don't. **

**A/N: **adrienna22 asked why there's a pool of blood and at the same a burnt body whenever Natsume kills somebody. I thought, hey that's a good question. I just found out the answer while writing this chapter. So read on to find out, too. 8D

* * *

**Smooth Criminal  
Chapter 4: Check and Mate**

"So," Mochu was singing in a light tune, "What gives?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Kitsu asked.

I flipped my mobile phone close and looked up at them. The others were looking at me expectantly, as if I should best come up with a plausible excuse for wasting their time, or else. But I just smiled and said simply, "Department bonding, that's all."

"Apparently," Youichi, the three week old apprentice, said sleepily, noting how ridiculously close we all were sitting together.

_The Ramen Bar_ indeed was a busy place; it was filled with customers buzzing, food was sizzling, utensils and bowls were clinking, and the air was very heavy. It stuck and smelled. The place was small and crowded. We were really lucky to have even gotten at least one (or considering the size, half) table at this time. Youichi's arms tried to find space on the table, but all he was able to do was accidentally hit Kitsu's limb. Kitsu also elbowed him in annoyance and Youichi back at him.

"What are we waiting for then?" Mochu demanded irritably. I was stretching to see over his head, half-listening and scanning the whole place. _Aw, where is she?_ I looked harder. I brightened up when something finally caught my eye. He grimaced. "Can we order now?"

"Ah," I said and waved enthusiastically.

"Who're you waving at?" Mochu raised a brow, and they all turned to see for themselves. Eyes popped and gasps were garnered.

"MISAKI?!" Mochu and Kitsu chorused.

"Hey, long time no see!" Misaki acknowledged them. Then she smiled at me. I moved a bit to make at least a small space beside me. Misaki carefully accepted it, joining our little party. "How have you guys been?"

"Good" and "fine" were returned as answers. She noticed Youichi just now, "Oh, who's this?"

"Hijiri, a trainee," he said lamely, and then narrowed his eyes at her. "And you are?"

"Harada," she answered easily. Unimpressed, Youichi just nodded once. But before he could disengage himself from the conversation, Misaki went on, "I was Mikan's partner before…" – a mysterious smile – "Before Hyuuga assaulted me."

"_He's getting away!" Misaki alarmed, jumping to set after the suspect. She drew her gun quickly and shot a bullet after and after at him, only one hitting him with precision. He almost fell in pain. But that didn't halt his escape. He clutched his arm and ran, disappearing eventually. _

_A week later after the incident, Misaki found a Post-It note stuck on the bobble head figure standing on her table. It read, "Your bravery is laudable, Officer. I'll make sure I award you for it. –H."_

_She crumpled the paper and dropped it in the bin with a laugh. But fear was evident in her eyes. Natsume Hyuuga was out there to get there. She knew that her days were counted. _

"You—" Youichi choked, still trying to take in what he had just heard. "But…you're alive."

"_Misaki! Misaki!" I cried as I forced my way through the crowd. When I managed to pop out of the sea of curious people, I stopped, searching for my friend. And then I slipped past the DO NOT CROSS SIGN, scurrying to the body being brought to the ambulance. _

"_Misaki," I said again breathlessly as I held her hand. She was unconscious, her right shoulder was stained with blood and half her body red from the burns she received from the attack. I told her to be careful. I told her I'd walk her home, walk with her to work, go with her everywhere, so that he wouldn't dare touch her. But it's too late. He already did. Mixed emotions were bobbing up and down my throat as I didn't stop my tears from falling._

_I stood there and watched the emergency volunteers take her away. _

"Quite a record, huh?" Misaki chuckled, reaching over for the menu booklet. "I'm Natsume Hyuuga's only surviving victim. Our situation was difficult for him, you see. In order to do what he did, he needed a certain amount of, how do I call it, invisibility. It wasn't possible enough when he attacked me, hence he couldn't complete the method. Sucks for him, I live."

"The method," Youichi repeated, as though he understood.

Misaki only grinned at the younger one, the scar between her ear and her cheek squiggling. I winced at this. "Speaking of which," She slipped a hand inside her bag and then pulled out a newspaper. My eyes widened when she tossed it on the table. I read the headline: HOTARU IMAI, CEO AND OWNER OF LOL INC. FOUND DEAD.

"Woah," Mochu gasped.

My heart skipped a beat as I slowly looked up to my ex-partner. She said, "The Chief visited me personally. He…asked me to take this case myself."

Mother of Neptune.

"What have you got so far? Did you find the killer already? How did it happen?" I asked her fast, the anxiety already getting to my head.

"I haven't got anything so far," she answered after a quick thought. "All I know is that the murder happened in her office. I haven't gone into deeper investigation yet. But it's strange actually, they haven't brought in the body."

"Re-really," I said, forcing a smile. "Don't you suppose that Natsume Hyuuga did it?"

"Of all the people, Mikan," she sighed disappointedly, "I thought you'd know that Natsume Hyuuga would be ruled out of the suspects."

"But—"

"No, Mikan's right," Kitsu said thoughtfully. "Hyuuga's one of the biggest criminals of town. He could have done it."

"Well, you see, Hyuuga's murder method is distinct," Misaki explained. "It's a trademark, sort of. If it's done in such a way, then you would know it's him. But there wasn't any sign of him there."

"He could have changed his method," Mochu tried to argue. I nodded vigorously.

"I doubt that," Misaki waved it off. "Hyuuga wouldn't do that. He sticks to blood and fire. Those things make him look damned hell scarier. According to the case studies, Hyuuga designed this method in such detail that it could be executed as the perfect crime. Although he kills anywhere and anywhen, he follows a certain pattern. He would injure the victim fatally until he is unable to stand or often to the point that he is nearing death. And then he would set him on fire."

She looked at me and then continued, "That way, there wouldn't be any track left behind aside a burnt body in a pool of blood. It also hinders autopsy or any kind of accurate investigation. The design is really well done, like it had been a computer program."

"Slick," Youichi said, amazed.

"Point is," she raised a finger. "I'm 100% sure Hyuuga didn't kill her."

Darn, Misaki sure wasn't our ace for nothing. She was sharp, there was no doubt in that.

"But think about this, Misaki," I blurted out, trying to put a halt to my shaking. "Hyuuga's hell smart. Don't you think he knows that we had figured out his pattern by now? What if, like Mochu said, he used a different technique? He wouldn't risk himself for the sake of a damned trademark. Especially if it's someone like Imai."

"Why? Does Hyuuga have something against Imai?"

I stopped. "No. I mean, not that I would know."

She gave me a look, which could have been an are-you-hiding-something-look. I swallowed, mentally praying that she'd let me through. She broke her glare, sighed, and then flipped open the menu. "You know what? Let's not talk about this now. I'm hungry."

"Finally," Mochu groaned, grabbing a menu for himself too. I sighed, like a huge thorn had been pulled out of my chest.

After we had called a waiter to collect our orders and he had shuffled away, Misaki frowned when she noticed something. "Where's Koko?"

"On a date," I said simply, half relieved that we had shifted to a different subject and also half hoping we wouldn't go into detail about this topic. The reoccurring picture of Koko seducing that girl in my thoughts was embarrassingly disgusting.

"A date, huh," Misaki giggled. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"More like the unfortunate girl," Youichi scoffed.

"She's the personal assistant of Ho– of a big time business woman," I smiled.

"Let's pray for the girl's poor soul," Mochu said dramatically, going into a praying position. Misaki gave him a slap on the back of his head and we all laughed.

* * *

It was like a tennis ball going back and forth in my head. I had been contemplating on my dilemma; to tell Misaki about it or to further lie to her. It was simple, really. But why was I having such a hard time deciding? If I told her the truth, that Natsume Hyuuga's partner had asked me to kill Hotaru Imai for the sake of information, of course she would force me to submit to due process. However, if I did the latter, it would only be safe for me until she figures out the truth herself. And knowing Misaki's abilities, she would definitely find out in no time.

"Right, Mikan?"

I jumped in surprise when I had heard her. Not knowing what she had said before that, I just nodded and said, "Yes, yes."

"Are you even listening?" She laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," I said, still somewhat stuck in my train of thought. I felt something tugging in my chest. And then I said, "Misaki."

"Hm?"

"I have something to tell you," I said quickly, only wanting to get the words out of me.

She raised her brow. She could tell that something was up. "Shoot me."

"I—" I swallowed, the words being choked in my throat. My stomach was whirling. _I killed Hotaru Imai_, I wanted to tell her. _I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm sorry I stained my uniform._ But I didn't. I couldn't tell her. I forced a smile and just shook my head.

"Really," she sighed and said encouragingly. "You can tell me anything."

"Don't mind me," I laughed nervously. "I just wanted to say…err…I can't wait to get to Red Computer Shop. Yes, yes, I can't wait to get there."

"Why? Do you fancy the shop owner?" She joked, or at least I hope she was joking.

"No way!" I said. "I just want to get this over with, so that we can get back to work already."

"Hello?" She said. "We can't get back to work until he fixes the network. It's totally cracked up, you know that. Just leave out your excuses, lady."

I just laughed at that. Soon enough, we arrived at the said computer shop. It was just a small unit, right next to a convenience store, hardly noticeable. The parking was difficult, because bikes were mostly stationed in front, so I had to leave the car across. When we got inside, we immediately got accommodated by the owner, Crimson Mist. Crimson Mist was a young man of early twenties, as old as I was, give or take. Crimson Mist was a name he insisted to be called. Perhaps it was a username he used. He always wore goggles, which were a replica of a game character's according to him. His hair was a messy black and he was tall. He could have been handsome if we knew how his eyes looked like. He said, "What are my favorite officers doing here?"

"Long time no see, Mist," Misaki said, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, long time no see, Harada. Hey, Sakura." He walked back to the counter to fix something on a shelf and then back to us as he wiped a detached keyboard. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well, Mikan here," she suddenly said. I was surprised by that, as she put an arm around my shoulder. "She's looking for a date. Mind taking her out for dinner?"

"I'm not—" I protested.

But Mist was already scanning me from head to toe, as if evaluating me. This made me conscious of myself. Then he shrugged, "Sorry, I don't date flat-chested police women."

"Excuse me?"

"Idiot," he stuck out a tongue, throwing the dirty cloth on my face. I gritted my teeth as I rubbed my face. The nerve! But he said, "I was just kidding. Sure I'll take you out if you're that lonely."

"First of all, I'm not that desperate," I said patiently, putting a hand on my waist. If only this arrogant guy wasn't our department's technician, I would have started shooting him. "Secondly, we're not here for that. We just need you to fix the network back in the station."

"Tsk," he rolled his eyes. Now back at his counter, he laid the keyboard and said, "I'll clear my schedule first."

"You have a schedule?" Misaki asked.

"I do," he stared as if she just asked the most stupid question ever. He was rummaging some things on the table and we just watched him. "While I do that," he started again. "Why don't you go on computer number seven and check out this new RPG I finished designing last week."

"Sure," Misaki said, grabbing the chair in front of the computer and started logging in. I took the chair from the eighth computer, since it was unoccupied anyway. The moment Misaki opened the program, the screen turned a blank blue. "That's strange."

A message appeared: _That was a cute stunt you did there, sweetheart. But I really need her rid soon, so I'll have to do it myself. _

I was frozen. I didn't have to be a genius to know what that meant.

"What gives, Harada?" Mist noticed when his customer left the counter and he came back to us. Misaki moved to the side and let Mist check the computer. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Oh shit, my game has a bug in it."

He kept moving his mouse and clicking the escape button, but the message wouldn't leave. The more he did it, the more horrified I became. How did Hyuuga know?

I looked at the screen again and a chill ran down my spine. When Mist pressed something, the screen turned black. He was relieved, so was Misaki. To them it was a bug, only a bug. But it was more than that.

* * *

Ruka Nogi looked up when he heard the cell door close. He greeted me with a smile, but I didn't have plans of returning it. Acknowledging that I didn't come for a friendly chit-chat, he shrugged and started circling his hand above the chess set, which I didn't notice until now. Apparently, he had been playing chess by himself. Soon enough, he picked up a black Bishop and moved it diagonally to the right middle end of the board. He then looked up again and gestured me to make a move, as well.

I didn't know how to play chess well enough, but I picked up the Rook and knocked over his Knight piece, which was threatening my Pawn. I smirked at him.

"So how did he know?" I asked him.

"Know what?" He said with a nondescript expression. Quickly, he grabbed his own Pawn beside the Knight and knocked down my Rook.

"That I didn't kill Hotaru Imai," I returned, confidently choosing my Queen and attacking his Queen. I said, "Checkmate."

"He didn't."

"What?" I stopped.

"You just confirmed it to me now," he said, looking up with glistening eyes.

"You tricked me," I whispered, realizing.

"You tricked me first," he retorted.

"Tsk, tsk. If you play a game, make sure you know how to play it well," he laughed heartily, shaking his head in amusement. He then picked up the Bishop, the first move he made, and knocked down my King with it. I was taken aback. I didn't see it coming. He smiled, "Checkmate. I win."

I pushed back my chair, stood up, and started on the door. Before I exited, I told him, "I still haven't lost, Nogi."

"Of course you haven't," he grinned. "But don't you know? Everything's going according to plan."

* * *

**A/N:** Like some of you guessed, Hotaru isn't dead. Huhuhu Mikan's so stupid to reveal it to Ruka. But what happened to Hotaru and where is she? Stay tuned to find out!

Oh and HA, I updated on time, because I love you all. ;D I'm not sure when I will update next, since I think I have a lot of papers coming up. Sigh. By the way, like always, unbeta-ed. I will proofread after the whole story is finished. (That's a long way to go, though. Phew.)

But I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: This Is My Game

**Disclaimer:** Gakuen Alice, and all that belongs to the trademark, is copyrighted by Higuchi Tachibana. The plot of this story, however, belongs to me.

* * *

**Smooth Criminal**

_Written by Scherzkeks_

**Chapter Five: This Is My Game**

* * *

"No hard feelings, Miss Imai."

At that, she laughed a dry, mocking laugh. I tightened my grip on my gun. And then she stopped, turning back to her usual poker face. She scoffed, "Don't kid me, Officer."

"You think I won't shoot?"

"If you wanted to, you would have done so already." She returned easily. Then as she observed me, she tilted her head and said amusedly, "Miss Mikan Sakura, aren't you a mere sketch artist? Laudable and perfectly accurate portrait sketching, however, inept with the gun, not very talented physically, and as I observe, you're not very smart either."

I gritted my teeth as she mused on, "You're not even worth two stars. I usually see you sitting in the office only. So I'm quite surprised that they appointed you for Hyuuga's case. Really, Officer. What makes you think you can win this?"

She sneered.

"With all due respect," Koko interrupted with a low voice, but I could see that his eyes were flaring, "Miss Sakura was chosen for this case, because she's an excellent policewoman."

"How naive," she frowned at Koko. "For someone like Mister Kokoroyome, that is. Excellent perceptive skills, you're quite an asset to our police. I bet your chief doesn't know about your involvement here. Otherwise, he would have prohibited you from helping your little friend here."

Then she turned back to me. "I mean, seriously. Did they really trust you that much? Or...did they know you're never going to solve this," she said almost enthusiastically. "Perhaps that's why they chose you."

"I could kill you right now, you know?" I said sharply, but still trying to keep my calm.

"Kill me then."

_Bang!_

Hotaru Imai dropped on the ground then. My jaw dropped at the sudden events, realizing only now that the gun wasn't in my hand anymore. Koko had taken it and shot Imai himself. But Imai wasn't dead. She was clutching her bleeding leg in utmost pain. I looked at my partner, the smoke fresh at the mouth of my weapon, and his face was straight. He said, "You sure are a fucking smartass. No wonder Nogi wants you dead."

Koko sure was scary when he's pissed.

Imai only threw him a deadly glare as she went on catching her breath and the hold on her leg tightening by the moment. Koko gave me back my gun and walked over to her, knelt down and she looked at him with angry eyes. He told her softly, "We won't kill you right now, Imai. I know that you know what Nogi knows. So if you cooperate, it's a win-win-situation for us. Easy as pie."

* * *

Our move then was as good as an impromptu shot to the moon. We had no idea whether it would work or not, but somehow it did, and somehow it didn't. I listened to my phone drone on and on with the same ringing tune. Finally, it picked up. "Hello? This is Mikan Sakura, yes."

_Ah, officer. Any update for me?_

"Yes." I swallowed. "They know."

She took a while to reply, but then she sighed and said, _I knew they would. They're sharp like that._

We thought that if we could make it look like Hotaru Imai was dead, Ruka Nogi and Natsume Hyuuga would stop breathing on our necks and we could work on the case with Imai in silence. Now Hyuuga's even mad and is out to get Imai again. I massaged my temples in frustration, thinking how complex this can get.

"What do we do now?"

_Well, now that they know there's no use in hiding it anymore._

I waited for her to continue.

_Since they want it out, why don't we give them what they want?_

"What do you mean?"

"Hn." She said and ended the call immediately.

I tossed myself on my bed, lay there spread. I put one hand on my forehead and stared at the ceiling, commanding myself to fall asleep. Just when my eyes were about to comply, my phone vibrated in my hand. I raised it in front of me to read the message I had just received.

_From: Imai_

_I forgot to tell you, meet me at the Creek Café tomorrow at 8am. Don't be late. And also, don't take Yome with you._

I didn't ask her why, or reply to her at all anymore. I was too tired to even bother with anything. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep already. And the next time I opened my eyes, my room was already lighter.

It was already 9am, and I had been sitting in the Café for at least an hour already. There were very few people, and always had been at this hour. I sighed. Soon enough, a woman was already shuffling over with a cup coffee, which she placed carelessly on my table. Without even stopping fully to ask if I need anything else, she was already on the next, taking the order.

I took the cup and held it close to my lips, savoring its aroma. When I was about to sip on it, something caught my attention on the television.

_Newsflash: LOL Incorporated CEO and Owner, Hotaru Imai, has been found alive in a local hospital just this morning. The young entrepreneur isn't severely injured but has been shot on her left leg. As of now, Imai's camp refuses to make its statement about the incident but reveals that her attacker is none other than the Black Cat, Natsume Hyuuga. _

_This is your news report in the morning, this is Yura Otonashi. Good morning!_

I shook my head, smiling to myself. And I have to admit, that was a really, really smart move. _That clever woman_, I thought and sipped onto my coffee. Never had coffee tasted so good to me.

"Impressed?"

I looked up and found an ebony black haired woman wearing large sunglasses standing in front of me. She invited herself to sit with me, and I put down my cup.

"That was really good. By overexposure, you would be in focus of attention. And this will shy away any attempts of Hyuuga and Nogi. Genius, in fact. Hyuuga and Nogi are trapped in your hands now."

"Exactly," she smirked. "This is my game after all."

"And I presume this isn't free service. You want something in return."

"I'm a business woman, that's how I work," she shrugged. She then pulled out a long brown folder and pushed it across the table to me. I looked at her suspiciously and tentatively examined the material.

Inside it were official papers. I scanned through it very quickly and comprehensively, and looked at her again. "What's this?"

It's exactly what it was; a profile of a stranger – a young girl with short black hair and bright crimson eyes. There was something so significant about her. I just couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"I want you to look for her."

"Why? Who is she?"

"She's the little sister of Natsume Hyuuga," Imai answered briefly, also gazing at the papers.

"So? What about her?"

"She's been gone for seven years," she explained. "Left exactly when _that_ happened. I bet she knows something. This information is vital, Officer. And I know you'll want to know what it is as much as I do."

I considered this, reading the pieces of information in front of me repeatedly.

"If she's gone for seven years, then it's impossible to find her. She could be anywhere. She could be out of Japan for all we know."

"Hyuuga won't let her too far. He happens to be an overprotective brother. My best bet is that she's still around Japan. Just not in this town."

She leaned forward, awaiting my decision. I sighed.

"Alright," I decided. "I'll find her. But I have to put an addition price on this, so it's fair for the both of us."

"Okay then," she smirked, already standing up. "Two red stones. No bigger than the eyes of a fox."

"I don't need physical payment, Imai," I said, but she was already leaving.

She stopped at the door, said, "You're not paying me. This is a tip from me," and left the café entirely.

* * *

I'd been tapping my pen against my table repeatedly, equipping myself with full concentration and shutting out the noisy background. My portrait of Suspect #2030 had been just a face shape and eyes for several hours. The witness had been too vague on the description of the features, and looking at this drawing, this guy could actually look like anyone.

I growled and scribbled over the picture harshly.

Giving up altogether, I slouched, letting my arms hang freely, and my chin rested on the desk. I guess muse didn't like me lately. Well, my muse never liked me whenever Mist was here—

"You've been here for four freakin' hours already, Mist," Misaki groaned, spinning round and round in her chair. "When are you going to fix that network already?"

"Will you shut up?" Mist hissed. "It's not my fault your system's all rusty. Besides, the ugliness of Sakura's face is distracting me. I can't work properly."

"Hey," I stopped sketching to protest. Pointing my pen at him, I countered, "It's not like your face is pleasing to the eye either."

"Your mom's not pleasing to the eye."

"Your face is not pleasing to the eye!"

_Eye…_

"You said that already."

_Eyes of a fox…_

"Can everybody please keep quiet?" Youichi shouted all of the sudden. He looked very much exhausted from his paperwork. "I can't think!"

_Two red stones. No bigger than the eyes of a fox._

"That's it!" I exclaimed, pumping my fists. They all raised their eyebrows at me and chorused a "huh", but I had to ignore those. I turned the page of my sketchbook, clicked my pen, and began.

Suspect #1127: Natsume Hyuuga.

When I finished, I tossed my pen somewhere on my desk and leaned back. And there they lay on my sketchbook, the bloody red eyes of the Black Cat.

"Hn," someone said. Mist was standing behind me suddenly. His smirk was the amused yet wicked kind. "If Hyuuga was here, he'd be impressed. I know I am."

* * *

A/N: So there, now we know what happened to Hotaru. 8D Honestly, I just found out now too. You guys know how when stories start going in their own direction, which is totally out of your plan? Totally happened in this chapter. Also, my outline died along with my phone. So err…yeah.

One more thing: My next update will probably be in May already. Finals in the upcoming weeks huhuhu. Please wish me good luck.

Thank you for reading, by the way! I hope you liked it!


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